Big City Rock

With their buoyant brand of energetic, anthemic pop, Big City Rock has made a name for themselves as one of the West Coast's most dynamic new bands. Now the Los Angeles-based quintet's self-titled debut album is set to let the rest of the world in on what their faithful fan following has known from the start. Front-loaded with killer hooks, mouth-watering melodies, and a uniquely affirmative worldview, songs like 'Human' and 'All Of The Above' instantly establish Big City Rock as a band with the sound and vision to match their moniker.

Though their name suggests a metropolitan upbringing, Big City Rock didn't start out in the urban jungle. Rather, Tim Resudek, Frank Staniszewski, and Nate Bott grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, starting their first band together in Frank's basement while in the eighth grade. Their teenage ska-punk outfit did well for a high school band, playing frequent shows throughout the Badger State.

Eventually Nate and Frank relocated to Minneapolis and started a new band, the Siren Six! After recording two well-received albums of jaunty indie pop, the combo decided to expand their horizons and headed west. But their dreams proved harder to realize than planned and in 2000, the Siren Six! decided to call it quits. Not long thereafter, Frank and Nate invited their old friend Tim to join them in L.A., with an eye towards putting together a new band. Dubbing themselves Big City Rock, the band got to work ramping up their instrumental chops and honing their songwriting.

'When people would ask what our band sounded like, I'd say, 'big city rock,' Bott explains. 'So when we were throwing around band names, someone said, 'Why don't we just call it Big City Rock?' It was this crazy manic move of abandon, but we also thought that if we were kids, we would like a band called Big City Rock.'

'It also meant that we had to live up to the name,' Frank says, 'and that helped drive us.'

Big City Rock gigged around Southern California, making waves with their upbeat pop sound. Their sold-out shows at the legendary Troubadour became the place to be for L.A.'s infamously hard-to-please rock community. Despite their efforts, Big City Rock almost came to an end in 2003 when the band's drummer decided to take a gig in another L.A. combo. After a week's debate as to whether or not to carry on, fate intervened. Kaumyar, a gifted drummer who was playing with another band in the same warehouse/rehearsal space, sat in and proved an instant fit.

'Kaumyar gave us a different perspective,' Tim adds. 'The three of us were so close, we'd known each other since we were kids, so there were no other influences coming in.'

An additional frame of inspiration moved into Big City Rock in March 2004, when Kaumyar brought in guitarist Andy Barr, who'd been his bandmate for 10 years, coming up together in Orange County.

'We had the west coast version of the other guys' story,' Andy laughs. 'Except we practiced in the living room instead of the basement and didn't have to travel as far to get to L.A.'

Now a five-piece, Big City Rock kicked into full gear, recording an EP and getting more and more live dates, including opening slots for such bands as Gratitude, Rooney, Phoenix, and Maroon 5. In late 2004, the band signed with Atlantic and set to work prepping for their debut album. In addition to perfecting longtime fan faves like 'Better Place,' 'Touch The Horizon,' and 'They Won't Mind,' Big City Rock began writing new songs with a vengeance.

'We pushed ourselves to the absolute limit that we could push ourselves as creative people,' says Nate. 'That was a real accomplishment, to be able to push through that barrier and just throw down the best songs we'd ever done.'

At the same time, a sense of optimism was crucial to the band's goals. They were determined from the start to create an uplifting sound, inspired by such band heroes as U2, the Beatles, and the Police. 'It sounds so simple,' Frank says, 'but it's actually pretty groundbreaking to do when you're an artist – to take the negative thoughts that pop into your head and turn them around and make something else out of them.'

In Spring 2005, Big City Rock left their own big city for another. They took up occupancy in a New York City loft and began work at Stratosphere Studios with a production team comprised of studio veteran Brian Malouf (Pearl Jam, Michael Jackson, Everclear) and Fountains of Wayne bassist/songwriter Adam Schlesinger.

Malouf's role was to steer the band through the intricacies of the recording process, bringing what Frank describes as 'an element of majesty to a situation that can be really manic and freaky.' For his part, the multi-talented, Oscar-nominated Schlesinger mentored Big City Rock on how to best refine both their craft and their aesthetic. Among Schlesinger's many contributions was helping the band rework one of their earliest songs, 'Human.' The song became the track that best exemplifies 'the spirit of the album,' according to Frank. 'Thematically it touches on a lot of what we want to say and do as a band, living in the time and place that we do.'

Upon the sessions' conclusion, Big City Rock went back to what they enjoy the most – playing live. They headlined shows at home while also touring alongside such bands as the Click Five and Institute. The band finds the communal relationship between themselves and their audience to be the most rewarding aspect of making music. With the album ready to go, they're excited for the opportunity to hit the road hard to win more and more new fans.

'The show is a party,' says Nate. 'The party is a show. The fans that come out to one of our shows aren't there just to see us play – they're part of the whole experience.'

Blending classic pop songwriting, choruses bold enough to fill any enormodome, and a refreshingly modern spin, Big City Rock have concocted music that's both individual and universal. No genre pigeonholing for this band –- it's simply Big City Rock.

'Most bands are on a given track that they know can take them someplace,' Nate says. 'But we really don't really see ourselves on any particular track; our music has a broader range. It's great, because having that kind of freedom means Big City Rock can go wherever we want, anywhere our ambition and creativity will allow.'